Our mental and physical health is an important feature of our life long learning, and evidence indicates that self control at 4 years of age is one of the biggest predictors of a child's success as an adult (Moffit, 2011) Create great habits early with lots of physical activity and equipping your children with tools to support their self regulation and wellbeing.

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Perhaps as adults when we are in that period of stress we don’t recognise the signs of that stress in our children. Stress and worry can display differently in different children and sometimes it may be as obvious as telling you that they are worried, but others may display silly behaviours, defiant behaviours and others may be come angry or disengage. As parents it is easy to see the behaviour, but all behaviours are telling us something, the person has needs and that they need to be supported. 

 

If you feel that you or your children need support, Lil' Peeps OT for Kids encourages you to reach out. There are a number of agencies that can provide support, along with other resources you can access on line. Some simple starting points might me:

• Talk to someone – this could be a friend, partner, GP or psychologist. There are lots of help lines you can call as well. You can visit  https://www.lifeline.org.au or call them on 13 11 14

• Download an app for mindfulness – smiling mind is a great fee app that can be used for the whole family, for sport or in the workplace. Many teachers a use this app for the whole classroom. Mindfulness allows you to acknowledge worry or stress and but also helps to train you in feeling calm and mindful. https://www.smilingmind.com.au 

• Exercise – it can be a simple as taking the kids to the park, taking the dog for a walk. Dedicating time to exercise is really helpful for switching off from. “busy work”. The chemicals exercise can release in your body also have a positive impact on the brain and helps us to feel positive.  The Australian Dept of Health have some information here: https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/F01F92328EDADA5BCA257BF0001E720D/$File/brochure%20PA%20Guidelines_A5_Families.PDF 

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